I messaged Padme when I arrived back to the room.

"Hey we are taking the temple where Sidious is. The first assault did not go well because they were so strong, and we could not breach through their defenses. We are changing tactics now. Ahsoka seems to be holding up well. We all are doing fine, just anxious to capture him and come home. Tell the kids that Daddy loves them and will see them soon. I love you, Angel."

Right after I sent it, Obi-Wan signaled me.

"Skywalker here," I said.

"Anakin, we are meeting in the hanger to prepare for the next assault."

"On my way," I said.

I arose and headed out towards the command center of the ship. Once I arrived there, I saw Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, and in hologram form was Yoda, Windu, and Depa. They all looked grave yet determined to capture Sidious. I matched their disposition.

"Combined assault, we proposed. Defeated we were," said Master Yoda.

"They overwhelmed us. There are simply too many droids for our men," said Obi-Wan.

"So how do we capture Sidious?" asked Ahsoka.

No one answered. Everyone thought, puzzled about how to conquer the citadel. We could not just blast our way in, but we must seize it.

"Bring up the temple," I said.

Obi-Wan hit a button, and the hologram showed up. It was a four sided pyramid, large and foreboding. Inside there were hallways that ran in a logical square structure to the inner sanctum to where Palpatine would be holding himself up, our target. If we breached the inside, it would just be slashing through security to reach the sanctum. But we needed enter somehow.

I studied the architecture, there ought to be a way in, something that we were overlooking. We had air support, out troops were strong, so that was not the problem. No, we needed to change our tactics. We had to gain access inside and capture Sidious.

"How do we capture him?" I asked aloud. "There should be something that we have overlooked. He is a prideful son of a bitch, and we can use that to our advantage. Surely, we can exploit a weakness that he must have.

"Perhaps I see a way in," said Qui-Gon.

"Where?!" I said, excited.

Qui-Gon turned the map and highlighted a portion of the castle that looked pathetic and run-down. "The slaves quarters. If some of us launch an assault in the back gate, a few of us can go to the palace and work our way to Palpatine, surprising him and his guards. We would capture him and that would be the end of all this madness."

"Slaves quarters," I muse to myself. "How fitting that is how we end this." Aloud, I said, "He will not see it coming. It could work." Even though I dreaded the horrific idea. "How do you propose we divvy up the troops?"

Qui-Gon cleared his throat, and said, "Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Depa, and I can lead the assault, preoccupying most of Sidious' troops, as Anakin, Master Kenobi, and Ahsoka go through the slave quarters to arrest Sidious. Master Plo can stay here and lead the attack on the starships"

My heart sank. I was playing the role of a slave yet again. I think that God thought it was funny to make my life go on repeat, a slave to Grudulla, a slave to Watto, a slave to the Jedi, a slave to the Dark Side, now pretending to be a slave to capture Palpatine. Would the madness never end?

"What if I lead the assault?" I asked. "I am not questioning your methods, but-" Please don't make me do this.

"Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "You need to catch to Palpatine, and this is the only way in. Ahsoka and I will be by your side."

I nodded. Ahsoka put her hand in mine and squeezed. Both of them knew my past, and what this was dredging up for me. They both understood that this was going to be hard for me. I looked over to Depa, and saw sympathy in her eyes.

"Okay, what do I do?"

"We will need to sneak through the shadow of the guards," said Obi-Wan, "killing as many as we can. We will go on without troops and it will be so it will be us versus them. We must be stealthy and quick. Then, once we are in the throne room, we take out the guards, while Anakin handles Sidious."

"Me?!"

"The chosen one, you are," said Yoda. "Your destiny, it is."

I nodded. My destiny, my destiny. How many times did I demonstrate I did not give a flip about my destiny. My destiny was to be a husband and a father, not keep chasing the same Sith Lord because he keeps getting out of jail.

"Fine," I said. "Then if you are insisting that I take out Sidious, then you are going to leave him to me."

"Negative Skywalker," said Windu. "You are not to fight Sidious alone. Kenobi and Tano must accompany you."

"Palpatine will hurt them," I argued. "He will hurt them to seduce me to the Dark Side!"

"Strength in numbers, there are," said Yoda.

"Come on Master," said Ahsoka. "You are worried for nothing. Obi-Wan and I are expert fighters. We can give Palpatine a run for his money."

I sighed and looked at Obi-Wan. He was eyeing me suspiciously as if trying to gage if I was going to crack under the strain of the change in orders.

"There is strength in numbers, Padawan," he said.

I nodded. "Okay," I said. "Let's do it."